Concrete building-block.



PATENTED APR. 18,1905.

G. L. PEABODY. CONCRETE BUILDING BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 1904;

Patented. April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. PEABODY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONCRETE BUILDING-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,787, dated'April 18, 1905. Application filed January 29, 1904. Serial No. 191,080.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEoReE L. PEABODY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete Building- Blocks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved building-block suspended by supporting devices in engagement with the internal supporting-abutments. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical sectional view. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view onthe line III III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4; is a perspective view of a block provided with the internal abutments on the inner sides of the outer end walls. Fig. 5 is a central vertical sectional view showing supporting hooks in engagement with the abutments so located. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view on the line VI VI of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a modified construction.

My invention relates to improvements in hollow building blocks or tile composed of cement, concrete, or other suitable material or mixture.

It consists in providing means in the manufacture of the blocks whereby they may be fastened to or engaged by suitable grappling, supporting, or carrying devices to facilitate their transportation, handling, or laying in walls. Ordinarily such building materials are'made in large pieces in imitation of stone and usually weighs several hundredweight. They require careful handling, so as to not chip the surface, especially when finished in delicate surface designs, and their unwieldly.

size and great weight render it very diiiicult to manipulate them by hand. By reason of their smooth exterior at ends and back, and when plain at front also, they cannot be held by hooks or other similar devices applied to the outside, and the material of which the block is composed precludes the making of pick-holes or other cavities in the manner usual with stonework.

Building-blocks of the general character to which my invention is applied are ordinarily hollow, the inner walls being vertical, so as to aline with the inner walls of lower or upper blocks to provide continuous openings, as is well known, and the form, shape, and design of the blocks may be widely varied while still capable of the embodiment of the inven tion. An objection to supporting or grappling the-blocks by any means applied to the exterior is that such means ascables, chains, ropes, tongs, &c., are in the way and are liable to come in contact with the blocks already laid when placing the suspended block in ,po sition, so that the supporting means must be removed before the block can be finally adjusted to place.

My invention has in view to overcome all such difiioulties and to provide means, incorporated with the block in the process of manufacture, by which it may be securely held, supported, and delicately manipulated by engaging the block wholly in the interior.

Referring now to the drawings, 2 is the block, composed of the vertical walls 3 and in case of long blocks having one or more strengthening bridge-walls 4, providing two or more interior vertical cavities 5. In the operation of molding'the block I provide in the inner sides of two or more of the walls or partitions recesses 6, terminating at their upper portions in shoulders or abutments 7, adapted to provide bearings for supporting hooks or tongs 8 of any suitable grapplingor supporting mechanism, such as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5.

In the case of long blocks provided with cross bridge-walls, as in Figs. 1 and 2, these recesses and shoulders are preferably made in the opposite sides of the bridge-walls, allowing the hooks to engage them in a direction toward each other. In smaller blocks, as column-blocks, the recesses and shoulders are made in, the inner sides of the opposite walls, the hooks engaging the abutments outwardly, as shown in Fig. 5.

In both constructions or arrangements or in any other modified forms I thus provide at least two oppositely located abutments or shoulders somewhat closely adjacent which may be engaged by the supporting device, so

as to support the block in equilibrium; When thus engaged, it may be lifted, suspended, transported, or lowered by a crane or other suitable means and accurately placed in position closely against other blocks, as in a wall. When so placed, the supporting-hooks may be readily disengaged, leaving the block in place. It will be observed that the location of the abutments or shoulders is sufliciently high above the lower surface of the block to prevent the hooks from extending downwardly below such surface either when in engagement or when loosened.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a construction wherein the bridge-wall 4 is less than the,full depth of the block, so that its lower edges are sufliciently far above the lower face of the block to allow the hooks to engage them, in which case these lower edges constitute shoulders or abutments 7', by which the bridgewall is engaged by the hooks, so as to support the block generally in the same manner as already described. By this construction the abutments are entirely within the surface of the inner walls, and no obstacle is presented to the insertion of a flue-pipe, conductor-pipe, or other elements which may be incorporated in the wall as built. The work of forming the recesses and. abutments is very simple and easy, being done by suitable cores or patterns during the operation of making the block.

The invention is of great advantage in fa cilitating the handling of the block, inexpensive in its cost, and greatly adds to the value and practicability of articles of this class. Changes and variations may be made by the skilled mechanic in the design, location, number, or form of the recesses and abutments without varying from the invention, and all such changes are to be considered as within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is p 1. A hollow building-block provided with vertical inner walls, and a transverse bridgewall having lifting-abutments on its opposite sides formed by shoulders of the wall above the lower surface of the block, substantially as set forth.

2. A hollow building-block provided with a bridge-wall having recessed cavities on its opposite sides terminating at their upper portion in supporting-shoulders, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE L. PEABODY.

Witnesses:

C. M. CLARKE, JAs. J. MoAFEE. 

